"Virgo had a reputation for slutty, but only with Herrenvolk" - said the private insurgent straightforwardly. The outbreak of the national uprising provided an opportunity to take vengeance on traitors, collaborators, but also on women who indulged in the Germans. Often in order to survive and save the lives of your loved ones.
Janusz Rola-Szadkowski was 20 years old when he took part in the Warsaw Uprising. Their memories were titled "With lightning on the tigers" he wrote down in the form of a diary, not forgetting even the most uncomfortable episodes. After more than 70 years, we can finally read them.
The insurgent touched upon, among other things, the difficult topic of punishing women who not only had a relationship with the Germans, but also entered into relationships with them and had sex, often in exchange for food or better treatment of themselves or the safety of the family.
Justice - as understood by the rank and file insurgents - was administered to them not only out of a sense of justice, but also ... out of boredom. Rola-Szadkowski admitted that "on the fifth in the morning, there was nothing better to do, except to take care of a" certain lady "who lived opposite the unit's quarters, and at the same time in the same house as another Home Army soldier with the pseudonym Muhammad.
Polish women who maintained too close relations with Germans had to reckon with the revenge of their countrymen.
There were six of them:he, the aforementioned Muhammad, and "Leszek, Sławek and another gentleman, who later turned out to be Lieutenant Gwido". Virgo, as the author emphasized, "had a reputation as a slutty girl, but only with Herrenvolk."
We came in, revision, audition, she stands up and cries. Gwido and Muhammad pass judgment and sentence, we guard. Judgment - 25 times a day ... Whether naked or not - I do not remember. I only know that for this purpose they took a 2 x 2 cm square rubber truncheon from the quarters, about half a meter long. J how she howled at the first blows! When they finished beating, she just whined, "Oh Jesus." And when we were leaving, she hardly kissed our hands, that we did not make her way into the world of spirits.
The woman could have met a worse fate. She could have been arrested, and if it was proven that she had collaborated with the Germans against the Polish underground, even in front of the firing squad.
Janusz Rola-Szadkowski and his colleagues from his unit had to face many troubles during the uprising. Equipment, ammunition and food were always scarce. The weapon was of poor quality. More than once they had to resort to looting empty shops, warehouses and apartments. In his memoirs, the author mentions his friends and acquaintances who died in August and September in Warsaw in 1944.
He clearly expresses his opinion about the insurgent authorities, especially mentioning the officers and members of the gendarmerie. He presents his participation in the uprising and his wandering around German prisoner-of-war camps in strong language, not to beat the bush. Because - as can be seen from the example of a beaten woman - the uprising is not only episodes of glory and heroism.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on:
- Janusz Rola-Szadkowski, With lightning on the tigers. Insurgent's diary , Poznań Publishing House, Poznań 2017.